Creating a child visitation schedule takes time and effort, but it pays off. A reliable child custody schedule prevents any confusion between parents and children about visitation times and other custody matter. It reduces conflicts and stress, allowing children to get used to their new circumstances and parents feel more secure about the situation as a whole.
Creating a Holiday Schedule
You can make a holiday schedule to show where your child will spend holidays and special occasions, such as birthdays and religious days. First, make a list of all the holidays that you would like to include in the schedule and determine when they all start and end. For example, Thanksgiving can last for a four day weekend, two days, or just the afternoon.
The holiday schedule must be reviewed and divided between the parents. Both parents should have an equal amount of holiday time with their children.
The following are common ways that parents divide and share holiday time:
- Alternate holidays every other year. Assign holidays to each party for even years, then swap the holidays in odd years.
- Schedule a holiday twice. You can celebrate the same holiday with your children. For example, one parent spends Thanksgiving with the children on the day of, while the other spends it with them on the following day.
- Split holiday in half. You can split each day of the holiday, so that the children spends time
with both parents on that particular day. However, make sure the children aren’t travelling all day. - Determine fixed holidays. Each parent celebrates the same holidays with the children every year.
Common holidays include:
- Your children’s birthdays
- New Year’s Day—Jan 1st
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day—3rd Monday in Jan
- Lincoln’s Birthday—Feb 12th
- Presidents’ Day/Washington’s Birthday—3rd Monday in Feb
- Easter
- Spring Break
- Mother’s Day—2nd Sunday in May
- Memorial Day—last Monday in May
- Father’s Day—2nd Sunday in June
- Independence Day—July 4th
- Labor Day—1st Monday in Sept
- Columbus Day—2nd Monday in Oct
- Halloween—Oct 31st
- Veterans Day—Nov 11th
- Thanksgiving—4th Thursday in Nov
- Christmas Eve—Dec 24th
- Christmas Day—Dec 25th
- Winter Break
- New Year’s Eve—Dec 31st
If you are interested in filing for divorce in Florida or seeking a modification of a custody order,
contact Anne E. Raduns, PA.
